Traffic cop turns lifesaver

CHENNAI: Thanks to the alacrity and duty consciousness displayed by a traffic head constable, a 50-year-old mason, who slipped and fell into the Cooum, was saved from drowning at Aminjikarai on Tuesday. The mason is undergoing treatment for a broken hip and hand at the Kilpauk Medical College Hospital.It was 6 am and head constable K Ravi (38) - attached to Aminjikarai traffic police wing - had just reported for duty at Anna Nagar, near the arch, when local residents rushed to him. “They told me that a man had slipped and fallen into the Cooum near the ‘Skywalk’ bridge and was shouting for help,” the constable told Express.On arriving at the spot, the traffic cop found a man sinking fast into the muddy water. “Only his eyes and teeth were visible. His body and head were all covered with thick mud,” he said.Realising that he too would sink if he stepped into the water, Ravi picked up a Casuarina log lying nearby and extended it to the drowning man. But the fall had left the man with a fractured hand and hip and he did not appear to have any strength to hold on to the log. Roping in the locals, the constable then attached a hook to one end of the log and tugged at the man’s shirt. The cop then slowly pulled him out of the water. But half way, the man’s clothes were in tatters. Divesting him of his shirt and lungi, the rescue team then placed him on gunny cloth and carried him to the bank.Covered in mud and with broken limbs, the victim presented a pathetic sight.  Asking the local women for water, Ravi washed him, but not well enough it appears. The paramedics of ‘108’ emergency services, summoned by him, refused to transport the victim to the hospital as he was dirty. “I asked the women to get me two more pots of water and washed him again and the locals gave him clothes to wear. We also gave him some water to drink,” he said.The victim then identified himself as Prabhu, a mason of Vyasarpadi. He claimed that he had been walking near the bridge and slipped and fell into the river because of poor visibility due to foggy conditions. He was taken to the KMCH.  Mission accomplished, Ravi found his pristine white uniform and arms covered with mud, but the locals did not seem to mind, as they vied with each other to shake hands with him.